I am a long time fan of Holly Black and was expecting to like this book as much as her others. This book is just as dark and immersive as her other novels, but with a maturity I appreciated as an adult reader. I loved the high stakes examination of morality, and I thought the world building was extremely unique. I will suggest this book to other Holly Black fans, and adult reader's of fantasy.

Book of Night follows Charlie Hall, a bartender and someone who works jobs here and there for patrons and newcomers to the city. In Charlie's world, shadows can be altered and it has become a dangerous trade that she works to avoid. Unfortunately, she can't avoid the trade forever and is forced to step into the vicious world of shadow trading when someone comes back from her past. I was so happy to receive an ARC of the Book of Night as it is one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and I have read all of Holly Black's other books. This book did not disappoint! Holly Black has such a talent for creating worlds and characters that feel grounded and real, no matter how fantastical the storyline. This book will have you looking over your shoulder, suspicious of everyone around you, it's so worth it! I definitely recommend this book! I can't wait for Holly Black to write more adult books!! More please!!

The world has changed since magic has come out from the shadows, or at least since those who can use their shadows to do things that any reasonable person would say is magic have started practicing their work openly. Entire subcultures and industries erupted overnight about how to wake up your shadow, people use shadows to influence personality and outlooks, and illicit markets emerge catering to those who are willing to pay big bucks to get their hands on grimoires of shadow magic lore from the distant past or even other people's shadows.

Into this world we follow Charlie, a bartender who used to be the woman you came to when you needed something stolen, but is now out of the game and struggling to pay the bills. Walking home one night after a shift at the bar, she happens on something that thrusts her back into the game when she doesn't leave well-enough alone, and the stakes have never been higher for her or her family.

This is honestly a pretty great book, I had a lot of fun following Charlie and her escapades. The characters are great, the world is interesting, learning about shadows and how they operate from the perspective of someone who is not magically inclined is a good decision and I appreciated getting to see things in that light. I will say that the pacing is definitely something you will have to overcome, this is a slow starter of a book, I wouldn't say plodding... but you need to give this time to get going before you can't put it down.

Definitely worth a read from fans of the author, and for those who enjoy urban fantasy and can be patient for things to start picking up steam.

I've read Holly Black's various works since I was a kid, and I have a special place in my heart for her as an author because I've interacted with her online; I've always found HB's YA work above the cut, so I was hoping that by writing an adult novel, she'd be even more free to take a story to places that the YA industry might censor. Unfortunately, I found myself thinking she'd have done better if this *was* YA and not her first adult novel.

Book of Night was...something. I really, really, really wanted to like this book. I mean, shadow magic? Underdogs? Both are right up my alley, and yet, I did not care less what happened to Charlie. The narrative swung wildly between frontloading on world-building in chapter 1, showing flashbacks of Charlie's lackluster childhood that theoretically led to her later criminal career (that she's theoretically now left behind), and showing us her mostly-emotionless relationship with her boyfriend and sister. Like. I've read books with unlikeable characters before and enjoyed them just fine, but this was actually...I don't know, joyless? It was not enjoyable to read at all.

I wound up DNFing this after 100 pages. Life is too short to read books that aren't enjoyable.

I understand an author cannot keep turning out one great book after the next that everyone will love. It's impossible, and this is the book where Black hits a wall. There was so much potential for Book of Night, but it fell flat for me. Most of the time I was left confused as to what was going on. The ending cleared a few things up, but I still had questions as to why some parts were written the way they were.
This was a slowburn, emphasis on slow. The pacing only picked up at the last 20% of the book. The last 20% was good. I would have liked to see that carried over to the other 80%.
I did love the very ending. It can, and will most likely, lead to a second book. I'm intrigued to see where Black takes the story from there.

I really hoped for more from this. The shadow-magic is a fascinating idea and the particulars of that are well-crafted and intriguing, but so much of this felt fractured and unkempt. I wanted to love it but everything about the book in practice felt wrong or off: the pacing, the prose, the characters, the motivations... so, yeah, this one got a big bounce-out from me.

rating 4.5/5 stars!!

the only reason I'm docking .5 stars is because it took me awhile to get into this book. when a book really has my interest, it usually sucks me in right away and I can't put it down. this one definitely took me awhile to get into, but once it hooked me (about halfway through), boy it's claws were in deep.

the world building was a little confusing to me at first, but things got clearer to me as I got through more of the book. I really loved the idea of shadow magic being present in modern day (and it definitely gave me Ninth House vibes, which is one of my favorite books). I really love what Holly Black did with this fantasy world.

I love the mc, Charlie, to death. I really really loved the chapters on her backstory, and I fell in love with her more and more after every one of those chapters. she's a bad ass con woman who always gets the job done because she's just that good, and I especially loved how she ended up conning the villain by the end. she's incredibly smart and cunning, but also manages to be a good person while doing it. also, the size 14 representation?! amazing!!!!!!!! also, Vince is everything I love in a love interest.

all in all, I really liked this book, and I'm really looking forward to a continuation in the story! I feel like the next book will be amazing when it comes to the love relationship development. seems like it's going to be enemies to lovers, which means I will absolutely devour it.

thank you Netgalley for providing this arc!

The last 20% percent of this book is so good, however, the first part of the book I found quite slow. Super interesting world but not explained super well. I think there is potential for a sequel to much better and hopefully faster paced.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan - Tor/Forge for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was.... unexpected. I really enjoyed Holly Black's The Folk of the Air trilogy, and I was excited to see what she would do with her next series. Gritty urban fantasy? Sounds great. Shadow magic? I'm definitely interested.

However, I unfortunately was very disappointed. This isn't to say that this is a bad book, it just wasn't for me. I read a fair chunk of it but ended up DNF'ing it, because trying to get through it was brutal, and life is too short to read things you don't enjoy. Now for a few reasons:

1. I didn't like the world building/magic system. I'll be honest in saying that the magic system of a fantasy book can make it or break it for me. In this case, it didn't seem to be clearly developed. Since I DNF'd it, it may have become more developed and fleshed out later on; but it wasn't the case of not being given enough in the beginning, the issue was that I was not even remotely interested in learning more about it. I just didn't like it.

2. The characters! Another deal-breaker for me. I didn't like any of the characters in this book. Our main character, Charlie, doesn't really seem to add anything to the story. She's constantly being described as being so cool and so hardcore because she was a thief, but that's not really shown at all, in my opinion. The side characters did not seem very developed either, and I also was not interested in learning more about them.

3. And finally, to me, this book just came across as trying to be something it's not. I know that Holly Black can write compelling, morally grey characters in books where messed up things happen (ahem, Jude, an icon). In this case, it just didn't work for me. To give an example, there was a scene of gratuitous violence (which, believe me, I don't mind at all in a lot of cases) included as part of Charlie's backstory, which just made it seem like she was trying really hard to be presented with "edgy" without it seeming to fit properly into characterization, if that makes sense.

I know that a lot of people will probably really like this book, and that's great! I really wanted to like it, but it just really wasn't for me.

There’s something about Black’s writing and the character, they lulls me towards ‘em and has its hooks deep within me; because I just can’t stop seems to loving and enjoying them. This book was so intriguing, although, the plot paced very slow but still I felt hooked to follow Charlie’s journey. This being the urban fantasy and the elements of magic, deceits and cons; left me wondrous. I really enjoyed it.

It was such a slowburn plot but I ended up really enjoying and loving it. Midway to the plot barely anything significant happens, but then, the pacing picked up and things happen and omg I just couldn’t put it down. But I really do hope that we have a novella or another novel in this series because with that ending we really seems to deserve to some answers.

This book was such a great read! I flew through this book in one afternoon because I loved it so much. The main characters were unique and interesting which is something I love in a book. It was a very interesting and fast paced read which made me never become bored. Great book!

Book of Night by Holly Black, I struggled getting interested with this book. It was fairly well written and will definitely do well, simply wasn't for me. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

I requested this book because I really enjoyed The Darkest Part of the Forest by the author. This book, while intriguing, had me confused for most of the book. A brief chapter that explained gloaming and all the related terms (the cabal, puppeteers, etc.) would have helped a lot. I felt thrown into the story and was trying to keep up until almost the end.

What I posted on GoodReads:
Charlie has spent most of her life running cons but gave it up a year ago when she was shot. Her goals are to have a normal life working as a bartender, dating a stable guy and trying to provide for her younger sister's future. When she sees her customer's murdered body on her way home from work with a shadowy figure nearby, she is drawn into another con. The majority of the book deals with Gloamists and I felt very confused about them until almost the end of the book. In this story, Gloamists are influential and wealthy people who are able to alter people's shadows. They can even command their shadows to commit evil deeds for them. As Charlie gets deeper into her con, she becomes the target of the Gloamists. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Around a year ago, I spent a weekend immersed in The Ninth House and became a total Leigh Bardugo convert. So, when I see an upcoming buzzy book that's got the Ninth House listed as a comp, I'm willing to give it a shot, even though I've never gotten into a Holly Black book in the past. Who knows, maybe I've been ignoring someone who I will totally love!

(True, I did read the first Magisterium book, which still remains the only Cassie Claire book I've read to date, but a co-authored title doesn't count.)

It turns out I was NOT ignoring someone who I would totally love. I just...I don't know. I know VE Schwab and Holly Black are IT for many people, but other than being an entertaining enough story to pass the time, it didn't hook me. I kept feeling like I was a step behind in the world, like there wasn't enough there to make me really understand this alt-Earth and the role of the gloamists in it. "Has the world been established in another one of her series that I have not read?" I kept asking myself. "Or is this just missing a big chunk of something important?" I also guessed the boyfriend "twist" early on.

I mean, I liked this book, and will recommend it, but it sputtered for me about halfway in and I kind of...wasn't totally invested in finishing it? I kept thinking about different scenes that could have been included, different POVs or ways to edit it to flesh out the characters. It was an adult book, but it still FELT written for YA. And I don't mean that as a compliment.

I guess I'll just stick with Naomi Novik.

Twenty years ago, the world changed when the public discovered certain people had the power to control their shadows. This power has many uses: cosmetic, therapeutic … and criminal. Charlie Hall, a struggling bartender and con artist, used to be a master thief before she got out of the game. But when a notorious billionaire approaches her to track down a valuable book of shadow magic – and won’t take no for an answer – she gets pulled back in. As she gets closer to the book, Charlie is drawn further and further into a dangerous conspiracy. And to survive it, she will have to pull off her biggest con yet.

Holly Black’s debut adult fantasy is a dark exploration of the power of trauma. She presents a fascinating new world with a smart, capable heroine, although it feels as though Black has barely scratched the surface of both. While “Book of Night” largely works great as a standalone, the ending will leave fans wanting more.

Reading this book, I would give it a 3-3.5, but in my heart, because of my love for the lore potential in this book, plus my love of Holly Black AND a particular male character, it's getting four stars!

This book has a plodding pace and honestly a mundane first 100 pages; besides the sprinkle of lore, we get about shadow magic and the murder, and I see the Night circus comparison for the pacing and writing, which already exists with me was half good, half bad.
HOWEVER, I REALLY got into the last 1/3 of the book after we found out more about the shadow world and Vince/Red, and everything came together more. I feel like a continuation of this story is needed because I need more; the last part was SO GOOD, and the needing was just so open and ... I need more!

I would kill for Vince/Red! I am ALL in for that character! His povs just added something to the allure of his character, and I love him.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3
(because of a killer ending)

Hard review for me to write, as I was so so excited for this book. I wanted to love it with every fiber of my being, and was ready to buy all the pretty editions. As a reader, I'm just left feeling slightly disappointed.

Let's start with the good-
The characters are all written with the hate to love them/love to hate them touch that Black does so well. It's why we all fell in love so hard with the Folk of the Air series. They're also unique in the sense where the reader might think they're *normal*, but somethinggg is off. Like, Vince. And that leads me to the man of the hour- Vince was honestly the shining star of this book. He was so multi-faceted, and I can guarantee that we still don't really know him. And for a mysterious book boyfriend? Absolutely perfection. The other detail that I loved was this magical realism Black gives us as readers. It was a little muddled at first, but the unexpected ~twists~ of the world were really on display in the second half of the book. She creates a landscape where you never really know where it is going to go next.

Down Flip side-
This is urban fantasy/realism disguised as a mystery and overall it really got bogged down in the details. We were given assumptions all over the place without any substantial evidence or clues to back up the plot. Many a time Charlie would start on a train of thought, only to reach a conclusion of, "Oh! this must be it," and the reader is left confused as to what just happened. We are presented at times with a cast of characters that ~relate~ to the direction of the plot, but not actually enough backstory to allow readers to grasp a character's significance. The majority of the book we were given puzzle pieces of how it all fit together but merely with assumptions (not action) and didn't get a full picture of what was happening till the last 10% of the book. When this plot device works, it works. However, here it was more of a, "thank goodness ok I think I understand now," instead of a, "oh that's pure genius." Seems like a ridiculous distinction, but it affects the thoughts a reader is left with after finishing a book.

My final thought on this book is that it reminds me a lot of a house that has been renovated so many times, like putting carpet over beautiful hardwood floors and leaving them slightly damaged.

However, the ending is super juicy and so intriguing. I would love to see if this world continues to grow and we get a second book.

Charlie Hall is cooler than me. She's a competent bartender and thief, a big-hearted sister, and a hot mess. I loved her and rooted for her sneaky triumphs, and her bad decisions made for great reading. With Book of Night, Holly Black delivers a dark urban fantasy set in a modern Western Massachusetts with a twist: shadows can be magic. It is a page-turner that picks up speed as the pieces fall into place.

This book was a lot like Ninth House. A bit bleak for my taste, but still has that signature Holly Black feel - a nice first foray into adult. Urban fantasy. Would be good for readers groups/book clubs that like to read adult fantasy.